Business 101 teaches us that companies have life cycles that mirror what we observe in nature – founding (or birth), high growth (or adolescence), maturity (adulthood) and decline (death). It used to be that companies could enjoy many prosperous and stable years in the maturity phase – measured in decades. Now we see companies ascend and descend in the blink of an eye, with long-standing goods and services being rendered obsolete – at times before they have even reached maturity.
I’m proposing a new mental model, still taken from nature, but one that is much more adaptable to today’s environment. It is the Evergreen. Evergreens stay green and productive all year round, and avoid the cycle of dormancy and re-growth by a process of continual shedding. The loss is almost imperceptible, yet allows the plant to stay green and growing all year round. Think about the power of continually shedding what is not working or no longer needed over time, and replacing it with fresh growth, from a business perspective. No erratic P&L statements, no massive downsizings and closings, quicker response to the market, and greater adaptability to the current reality.
There are thousands of species of Evergreens, and they come in a wide variety of sizes, and even colors. Certain species thrive in rain forests, others in drought-stricken areas. In addition to our typical Christmas tree, palm trees and California redwoods are also Evergreens. What they share is a unique survival mechanism, that of working within the ecosystem rather than against it. What they shed nourishes the soil beneath them with the perfect mix of acidity, which allows them to survive virtually everywhere on the planet, even in the harshest conditions. What if your business could work within instead of against the ecosystem and thrive – no matter how hostile and challenging? What if what you shed nourished you rather than depleted you? What if your company was Evergreen and you were an Evergreen Leader? We’ll explore what that means in our upcoming posts.
